Westborough – Jim Bendiak, an employee of Curry Printing, moonlights once a week as an amateur stock-car racer at Connecticut's Thompson International Speedway. Jim manages the bindery, or finishing area, at the business's main production facility in Westborough during the day and enjoys racing for fun on Thursday nights with his sons, Patrick and Nick, at the race track in Thompson, Conn.
Jim and his sons got involved in racing over six years ago when Patrick went away to college. Patrick had raced dirt bikes in the past and Jim thought it would be a great hobby for them to focus their attention on while Patrick adjusted to college life. So, they found a car builder named Bob Fill from BFR Racing and went to work building a car. It took almost a year to complete, but Jim and Patrick have been racing ever since.
Patrick has done most of the racing so far, but is getting married and moving to New York. This has landed Jim in the driver's seat several times in the last year.
“It feels like you'se going a lot faster than it looks,” Jim said.
Some of Jim's co-workers, including account representative Drew Hirtle, attended the races.
“It's so much different than when you watch the races on television,” Hirtle said. “The roar of the engines and seeing how fast the cars really go makes it a totally different experience. I give Jim a lot of credit for what he does. We all had a great time cheering him on.”
